Mayo councillors want tax on short-term rentals
Mayo councillors are calling for the imposition of a tax on holiday homes and the regulation of the Airbnb sector.
Fine Gael Cllr Peter Flynn raised the matter at last Thursday's meeting of Mayo Co Council's housing strategic policy committee (SPC).
“We discussed the topic of a holiday homes tax at length at our last SPC and I have to say I never had the reaction to any topic in all my years as a councillor as to this particular one. Largely, though, people are in favour of doing something about it and so we pushed it back to the Director of Services to ask for legal advice as to how to progress the matter," said Cllr Flynn, who chairs the SPC.
Director of Services Tom Gilligan said council management consulted with a solicitor as to whether it was possible to introduce a tax on holiday homes.
“The response wasn’t positive initially and it was pointed out it could only be done on a national level," he explained.
Mr Gilligan said the council then sought legal advice in relation to the Local Government Act 2001 and that advice was now being circulated to members.
Cllr Harry Barrett said: “Let’s deal with the big beast that is sucking the life out of the provision of housing units in this county and that is Airbnb. If we do nothing we should at least write to the minister and ask to regulate this sector as soon as possible. The Government was afraid to to this before the election but I ask now, via Mayo County Council, for them to to do it.
“Airbnb has to be regulated like any other business. It was okay when it was just your bedroom you put on it but in this county we have full properties on it and most of them are mini-hotels. These properties should be on the long-term market for our people in this county to rent. It is even affecting council tenants as they are afraid of what the landlord will decide to do. So I call for these properties to be brought back on the rental market.”
Cllr Barrett’s proposal was seconded by Cllr Cruise and agreed by members with SPC.
Cllr Flynn said the committee would write a letter to the Minister and call for all short-term rental markets, not just Airbnb to be regulated. As to a holiday homes tax, the chairperson said the best thing to do was to circulate the legal advice to committee members and to add the topic to the agenda for the next meeting.
"In the meantime, think about what’s doable and not doable because we really need to start thinking outside the box around producing homes as we cannot meet the current demand.”
